Mystery Rescuers Save Woman from Violent, Bizarre Attack

A woman—whose boyfriend had pinned her to the ground and was choking her while saying, "You need to be cleansed!"—was rescued by unknown individuals who left the scene before police arrived, according to allegations in a police report.

According to the report, the bizarre attack happened on Sept 12, at around 10:26 p.m. on Washington Terrace, about a block from the Somerville Police Station in Union Square.

The victim of the attack told police her boyfriend, Benedict Sparling-Sedlack, 29, from Scarborough, Maine, had traveled from Maine to visit her.

Once in Somerville, he began asking odd questions, according to the victim's account in the police report. For instance, he would ask is she were free from being a prisoner, according to the report

The victim told police that he struck her and began choking her when she answered his questions incorrectly.

After a struggle, the victim was able to flee from her home, and she ran into the street, screaming for help, the report says.

Sparking-Sedlack allegedly caught up with her, pinned her against an SUV, began choking her again, threw her to the ground, climbed on top of her and, while choking her, said, "You need to be cleansed!"

The victim said she continued to scream until she began to labor for breath.

"At this moment," the police report says, "a few unidentified individuals came to [the victim's] rescue, and they forcibly had to remove Sparling-Sedlack from [the victim's] body."

One witness said that when she saw, from her window, that her neighbor was under attack, she ran to the police station and frantically got the attention of two police officers, who responded to the scene, according to the report.

Another witness, walking along Washington Street, said she heard screaming and saw the victim pinned against the SUV, at which point she called 911, the report says.

However, it says police were unable to find the victim's rescuers.

Sparling-Sedlack was arrested and charged with assault and battery and attempted murder.

The above information was supplied by the Somerville Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.